What does the Wii U need to succeed?

I'm kinda not liking a lot of what's going on with the Wii U, but I also see potential. The two big problems seem to be the slow ass loading and not being able to move your profile. Although maybe the latter is not so big for most people. It needs better games, but it's too early to say whether that's really a problem. The PS3 was able to fix that and so can Wii U. Other than fixing those two problems, what do you think needs to be done? What kind of games do you think it needs? I think it would be nice if there was a full fledged pokemon game on it with some cool online features. Although they should probably put more effort in the story for those games.

It needs to offer me an experience with a game that 1) I can't get anywhere else and 2) I really want to experience. The Wii had that with Galaxy and the Prime games and even surprised me with games like Muramasa and some other games. There's nothing on the Wii U that really feels that much different or that much better then an experience I can have elsewhere.

People say the console loads slowly, but compared to my 360, it's still better. At least it's not clunky and lagging through the menus. Just popping the guide nowadays is a rough task for the 360. Back in 2006, it loaded like a bullet.

@jonnyboy: That's because historically Nintendo hasn't cared about Europe in the slightest. Also, I've never played pokemon for the stories and i doubt anyone else has either.

Oh definitely in the 80's and early 90's, we didn't know anybody that owned a NES and I only ever met one guy with a SNES. Everyone had a master system and Megadrive. But fastforward to the Wii, that thing was everywhere. It still is, all the ads for this Christmas are for Wii and 3DS games. I thought they has sorted it out in the last 30 years.

It needs Ridge Racer, no system has ever succeeded and didnt have at least one Ridge Racer

think about it

as for my serious answer, I dont own a WiiU but I think there are two things that could be emphasized to help the system

1) play without a TV. I don't know if WiiU can be played without a TV at all (not even hooked up to a TV) but if it can, that's a good start. To say the least.

2) offline multiplayer with one person on the touchscreen and the other on the TV. Problem though come to think of it is that the person on the touchscreen can see the TV as well, giving them an advantage. Unless the 2 players stay in different rooms but that's not going to fly. Still it's good for things like co-op campaigns since now both players get their own screen. Also good for games where seeing the other persons screen doesn't matter, like racers.

Things like both players playing on the TV, but the person on the touchscreen being able to influence the game by adding platforms and stuff, that doesn't seem very interesting to me. You're both playing on the same screen anyway, but now with a gimmick added and only one of the players gets to do it. Come to think of it, Kinect can probably offer similar functionality. (both players playing Rayman using controller but can use their arms to add or reposition platformes)

I had an idea for a Star Fox RPG, open world with multiple planets (basically multiple open worlds), such a game could obviously make use of the touchscreen in a number of ways. (though I like the idea of the handheld-only feature of the WiiU so I am at odds with myself on whether games should actually use the touchscreen or not.)

I'm shocked by the number of people complaining about the lack of Wii U games, even quality ones. Have you played Nintendo Land, Mario Bros U and ZombiU? Those are pretty much three big, and very well reviewed titles for a system that just launched. This hate for the Wii U from a few people is unwarranted as well. The system isn't trying to be the PS3 or 360. It doesn't have a cluttered menu system or one with dozens of ads and little devoted to games. The Wii U is about games, you and interacting with Miiverse. Come next year the PS4 and Xbox 720 (or whatever its called) will come with touch screen controllers like the Wii U. The Wii U controller is a game changer, a revolution for playing games. People that think otherwise should actually play Nintendo Land and especially ZombiU. I'm sorry but I can't help to be at least a little annoy when it seems like some people are hating on a console because its made by Nintendo.

People say the console loads slowly, but compared to my 360, it's still better. At least it's not clunky and lagging through the menus. Just popping the guide nowadays is a rough task for the 360. Back in 2006, it loaded like a bullet.

Keep in mind your comparing a brand new piece of hardware to a 7 year old console whose current scope is far beyond anything they envisioned when launched. The loads on the 360 aren't great, but I can at least understand why

Some New IP's. Seriously, what was the new Nintendo IP last generation? The Mii?

oh this argument again.

I think it's a pretty valid argument.

It really isn't. Care to name me a studio that has more unique pieces of IP than Nintendo? Those iconic brands are what Nintendo does... it's their bread and butter. Nintendo needs more developers to bring both exclusive and non-exclusive content... but not more IPs. I mean, nothing wrong with more IPs, it's just that it's awfully dumb to say they "need more".

... because if Nintendo needs more, you're not speaking very highly for the rest of the damn industry

Some New IP's. Seriously, what was the new Nintendo IP last generation? The Mii?

oh this argument again.

I think it's a pretty valid argument.

It really isn't. Care to name me a studio that has more unique pieces of IP than Nintendo? Those iconic brands are what Nintendo does... it's their bread and butter. Nintendo needs more developers to bring both exclusive and non-exclusive content... but not more IPs. I mean, nothing wrong with more IPs, it's just that it's awfully dumb to say they "need more".

... because if Nintendo needs more, you're not speaking very highly for the rest of the damn industry

Sony brings out an ass ton of new IP's every generation, and have two more coming out next year (Last of Us and Beyond). The last new Nintendo character we got was Olimar and the Pikman. Who the hell are they going to add to the next Super Smash Brothers if the Wii did not bring anyone new to the Nintendo family (besides the Mii)? Do you really think they go a full two generations without creating a single new franchise and have no one say anything? They are simply coasting on nostalgia.

I'm shocked by the number of people complaining about the lack of Wii U games, even quality ones. Have you played Nintendo Land, Mario Bros U and ZombiU? Those are pretty much three big, and very well reviewed titles for a system that just launched. This hate for the Wii U from a few people is unwarranted as well. The system isn't trying to be the PS3 or 360. It doesn't have a cluttered menu system or one with dozens of ads and little devoted to games. The Wii U is about games, you and interacting with Miiverse. Come next year the PS4 and Xbox 720 (or whatever its called) will come with touch screen controllers like the Wii U. The Wii U controller is a game changer, a revolution for playing games. People that think otherwise should actually play Nintendo Land and especially ZombiU. I'm sorry but I can't help to be at least a little annoy when it seems like some people are hating on a console because its made by Nintendo.

I really doubt the next consoles will have touch screens. I guess the big knock is, how much can the WiiU keep up with future hardware, is the WiiU gonna be able to compete with a PS4 or the 720? And whatever AAA titles they got, and what about the eShop, it was pretty much... meh on the Wii, are we gonna see those great downloadable games that we saw on PSN or XBLA. Will Walking Dead: Season 2 be on the Wii Shop?

We saw none of it from the Wii, so why expect different now? It's not totally crazy for people to be skeptical .

A clear message to the general consumer about what the Wii U is, why you should get one, why it is its own system and not just a peripheral for the Wii and what sets it apart from other systems. That's no easy order, of course, but they don't really have much of a choice. If they want this system to succeed, they need to tell potential buyers what it is and why it should be in their living room. And right now, I don't think they've done either of those things.

A clear message to the general consumer about what the Wii U is, why you should get one, why it is its own system and not just a peripheral for the Wii and what sets it apart from other systems. That's no easy order, of course, but they don't really have much of a choice. If they want this system to succeed, they need to tell potential buyers what it is and why it should be in their living room. And right now, I don't think they've done either of those things.

.

Also, Pokemon games that use Skylanders tech. They do that, sky's the limit.

Most gamers today want to be looked at as adults who enjoy entertainment equal to that of movies, books, and the like. Sony and Microsoft have aided this desire quite well. Where as Nintendo keeps making their system behave the same way it always has, as a toy. Sure it's fun just like any other toy, but it's not satiating what the greater industry wants or needs. Unless it changes, then I can't be certain of Nintendo's future.

A clear message to the general consumer about what the Wii U is, why you should get one, why it is its own system and not just a peripheral for the Wii and what sets it apart from other systems. That's no easy order, of course, but they don't really have much of a choice. If they want this system to succeed, they need to tell potential buyers what it is and why it should be in their living room. And right now, I don't think they've done either of those things.

.

Also, Pokemon games that use Skylanders tech. They do that, sky's the limit.

A clear message to the general consumer about what the Wii U is, why you should get one, why it is its own system and not just a peripheral for the Wii and what sets it apart from other systems. That's no easy order, of course, but they don't really have much of a choice. If they want this system to succeed, they need to tell potential buyers what it is and why it should be in their living room. And right now, I don't think they've done either of those things.

.

Also, Pokemon games that use Skylanders tech. They do that, sky's the limit.

Also, a new Pokemon Snap.

That would probably end up as a shitty mini game in their Pokelanders game. Nintendo loves to keep games I loved locked up in solitary confinement. They'll allow visits, but at a bare minimum, with no physical contact whatsoever.

Some New IP's. Seriously, what was the new Nintendo IP last generation? The Mii?

oh this argument again.

I think it's a pretty valid argument.

It really isn't. Care to name me a studio that has more unique pieces of IP than Nintendo? Those iconic brands are what Nintendo does... it's their bread and butter. Nintendo needs more developers to bring both exclusive and non-exclusive content... but not more IPs. I mean, nothing wrong with more IPs, it's just that it's awfully dumb to say they "need more".

... because if Nintendo needs more, you're not speaking very highly for the rest of the damn industry

Sony brings out an ass ton of new IP's every generation, and have two more coming out next year (Last of Us and Beyond). The last new Nintendo character we got was Olimar and the Pikman. Who the hell are they going to add to the next Super Smash Brothers if the Wii did not bring anyone new to the Nintendo family (besides the Mii)? Do you really think they go a full two generations without creating a single new franchise and have no one say anything? They are simply coasting on nostalgia.

Beyond is developed by QuanticDream, not Sony. Last of Us is developed by a Sony subsidiarity, so I have no issue with that. Publishing doesn't mean anything. If it does, well, then technically Bayonetta 2 is Nintendo IP... and I don't think you'd get many people on board with that argument.

Saying that Nintendo is coasting on nostalgia is like saying The Simpsons is coasting on nostalgia. No, they're coasting on consistently creating good games that people know the characters of and enjoy.

I have no idea where this notion of "more IP" = "better". Then again, the GB community constantly seems to find new ways of trying to make themselves look so infinitely more sophisticated than any other gamer (I've never encountered this notion from other gamers that Nintendo "needs more IP"). I just wish that people enjoyed what's good, and had some independent thoughts of their own, rather than picking up whatever shiny argument they happen to stumble across without thinking through what it actually means.

/rantoff

@adam1808 said:

@MAGZine said:

@DarthOrange said:

Some New IP's. Seriously, what was the new Nintendo IP last generation? The Mii?

Some New IP's. Seriously, what was the new Nintendo IP last generation? The Mii?

oh this argument again.

I think it's a pretty valid argument.

It really isn't. Care to name me a studio that has more unique pieces of IP than Nintendo? Those iconic brands are what Nintendo does... it's their bread and butter. Nintendo needs more developers to bring both exclusive and non-exclusive content... but not more IPs. I mean, nothing wrong with more IPs, it's just that it's awfully dumb to say they "need more".

... because if Nintendo needs more, you're not speaking very highly for the rest of the damn industry

@MAGZine: Do you think Nintendo's well of creativity will dry up with its current IP, though? I mean, it has to, right? I agree that new IP doesn't necessarily equate to success, but its gotta happen. Right?

Some New IP's. Seriously, what was the new Nintendo IP last generation? The Mii?

oh this argument again.

I think it's a pretty valid argument.

It really isn't. Care to name me a studio that has more unique pieces of IP than Nintendo? Those iconic brands are what Nintendo does... it's their bread and butter. Nintendo needs more developers to bring both exclusive and non-exclusive content... but not more IPs. I mean, nothing wrong with more IPs, it's just that it's awfully dumb to say they "need more".

... because if Nintendo needs more, you're not speaking very highly for the rest of the damn industry

Nintendo:

Mario

Zelda

Pokemon

Metroid

Pikmen

Kid Icarus

Star Fox

Donkey Kong

Kirbey

Smash Bros.

Mario Kart

Sony:

Uncharted

Heavy Rain

Last of Us

Crash Bandekoot

God of War

Beyond

Jak and Daxter

Ratchet and Clank

Resistance

inFamous

Mario Kart Flower

Journey

Gran Turismo

Killzone

Little Big Planet

Motorstorm

Sly Cooper

Twisted Metal

And most of those are from THIS generation.

And all of those combined don't hold a candle to Nintendo's IP. Sales wise, anyway.

Indie support, I'm note one of those drum banging indie supporters, In fact I loves me my AAA games, but lower priced downloadable indie games could save this system as long as they A) let developers prices their games B) actively peruse indie developers C) treat those developers properly Also they need to repair broken relationships and throw some money at some large Japanese franchises so they can return to their glory days, honestly I would be way happier to get a lower cost 2d sprite SquareEnix project rather than the new stuff they're pumping out. All in all, low cost, quality projects sold at a low price point could really turn this whole Wii thing around. Also if they pursue this path they will have less competition and less comparisons to Sony and Microsoft. Nintendo always wanted to be different but could never get it all they way right, this could do it for them.

It needs to actually be next gen. The 360 and PS3 are still outperforming it.... the 720 and PS4 will make it look archaic.

Yep, and good luck getting 3rd party support by then.

The need to sell more consoles to convince 3rd parties to keep making games for what will inevitably be, and pretty much already is, outdated hardware.

I disagree with this argument, the Wii was obviously under performing it's competition, but still managed to completely take the market for a long while. The thing that changes for the Wii U in my mind isn't that's it's held back by old tech, because the Wii proved it can be overcome with word of mouth and iconic games, BUT, the thing Wii U does not have is a Wii Sports. Wii sports was the only thing my extended family played on the wii, the only game, that's insane. The segment of the market that made the Wii a huge success barely bought games, they had Wii sports, Wii fit and Mario kart, the Wii U needs an iconic game to spread word of mouth, or else it will lag desperately behind the PS4 and Xbox, just in pure attention or excitement. Nothing about the wii u excites me, and that's my big problem with it, it's good, but not good enough for me to consider it.

Sort out why there are so many people all claiming their Wii U locks up on a regular basis or struggles to set up an initial internet connection, and fix it.

Introduce a way for games to be installed to attached external harddrives in a way that decreases load times in-game; the load times on the Wii U are slow as molasses across the board. While you're at it, release a new system model with a proper harddrive.

Unify all of Nintendo's disparate log-in services and allow the free and unrestricted moving of save data and Nintendo Network IDs.

Standardize controller functionality across all of the Wii U's games; it shouldn't take any time at all to figure out what controllers work in what combination for what game/mode.

Find whoever is in charge of North American marketing campaigns, and fire them. Replace them with people who actually know how to properly distinguish the Wii U from the Wii in the mainstream consumer's mind.

Introduce mainline Pokemon games for the Wii U, because at this point, that franchise is a bigger and more consistent system seller than anything else Nintendo has.

More Bayonetta 2-like projects. Nintendo can get by without great third party support the other systems have, but they need to seek out and partially subsidize specific sought-after IPs that have devoted followings. A new Suikoden? A new and downloadable Chu-Chu Rocket? An exclusive Shin Megami Tensei game? Whatever it is, micro-target that shit.

Spice up first party IPs. I'm not going to use the tired old "Nintendo needs more IPs!" argument, though it wouldn't hurt to see them try, but no more "New Super Mario Brothers _insert number or letter here_". Do a Sci-fi themed Zelda. Make a side-scrolling Metroid game. Do a more World-inspired Super Mario game with a completely different art style and musical score. Just be more creative.

People say the console loads slowly, but compared to my 360, it's still better. At least it's not clunky and lagging through the menus. Just popping the guide nowadays is a rough task for the 360. Back in 2006, it loaded like a bullet.

Keep in mind your comparing a brand new piece of hardware to a 7 year old console whose current scope is far beyond anything they envisioned when launched. The loads on the 360 aren't great, but I can at least understand why

xbox 360 load times were long since the beginning. PGR3 had massive load times as did Quake 4 and Prey. Honestly I dont see why load times would get even worse just because more of the system's potential is being used. Evidently that's not really the factor that's causing it.